Data aggregation based on a heirarchical tree

ABSTRACT

At each delegate device and each non-delegate device of a logical device hierarchy, a data cube is generated. The logical device hierarchy includes more than one level, and each level includes one or more groups, and each group includes one delegate device and one or more non-delegate devices. At each delegate device, data cubes are received from the one or more non-delegate devices associated with the same group. At each delegate device, data cubes are received from delegate devices of a different group, and that delegate device is the parent of the delegate devices associated with a different group. At each delegate device, the received data cubes are aggregated into a weighted data cube. From each delegate device, the weighted data cube are outputted to the parent of the delegate device.

BACKGROUND

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a distributed network of uniquelyidentifiable devices (such as, networked sensors and equipment) andtheir representations. In some implementations, the devices can possessdegrees of autonomous intelligence and can provide information throughdata capture and communication capabilities, which can be used toperform actions based on the received information. The devices can beremotely controlled over the network, if permitted to do so, bysecurity/privacy settings and functionality. IoT infrastructure can beconsidered to include existing and evolving Internet and networkdevelopments and can offer specific device-identification, sensor, andconnection capability as a basis for development of independentcooperative services and applications, including mash-ups. IoT can becharacterized by a high-degree of autonomous data capture, eventtransfer, network connectivity, and interoperability. Current IoTfunctionality is limited due to, among other things, costs of IoTinfrastructure maintenance and data privacy concerns.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes collecting data associated with variousdevices within a logical hierarchy of data sources.

In an implementation, at each delegate device and each non-delegatedevice of a logical device hierarchy, a data cube is generated. Thelogical device hierarchy includes more than one level, and each levelincludes one or more groups, and each group includes one delegate deviceand one or more non-delegate devices. At each delegate device, datacubes are received from the one or more non-delegate devices associatedwith the same group. At each delegate device, data cubes are receivedfrom delegate devices of a different group, and that delegate device isthe parent of the delegate devices associated with a different group. Ateach delegate device, the received data cubes are aggregated into aweighted data cube. From each delegate device, the weighted data cubeare outputted to the parent of the delegate device.

Implementations of the described subject matter, including thepreviously described implementation, can be implemented using acomputer-implemented method; a non-transitory, computer-readable mediumstoring computer-readable instructions to perform thecomputer-implemented method; and a computer-implemented systemcomprising one or more computer memory devices interoperably coupledwith one or more computers and having tangible, non-transitory,machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by theone or more computers, perform the computer-implemented method/thecomputer-readable instructions stored on the non-transitory,computer-readable medium.

The subject matter described in this specification can be implemented soas to realize one or more of the following advantages. First, thedisclosed solution describes a logical device hierarchy (for example, inan Internet of Things (IoT) environment) that preserves data privacy byanonymously collecting data associated with devices within thehierarchy. Second, unlike centralized solutions used in existingtechnology, the disclosed decentralized solution does not require acentral cloud service or an on-premise service to be used, reducingcosts for maintenance of the service. In addition, software and hardwarewithin the hierarchy can be updated in a safe manner, and the firstlevel of the hierarchy confirms update validity before populating theupdate downwards into the hierarchy.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter of thisspecification are set forth in the Detailed Description, the Claims, andthe accompanying drawings. Other features, aspects, and advantages ofthe subject matter will become apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art from the Detailed Description, the Claims, and the accompanyingdrawings.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example system that employs alogical hierarchy of data sources.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a new device joining thelogical device hierarchy, according to an implementation of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of data propagation withinthe logical device hierarchy, according to an implementation of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of collecting datawithin the logical device hierarchy, according to an implementation ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of acomputer-implemented System used to provide computationalfunctionalities associated with described algorithms, methods,functions, processes, flows, and procedures, according to animplementation of the present disclosure.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description describes a logical hierarchy of datasources presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make anduse the disclosed subject matter in the context of one or moreparticular implementations. Various modifications, alterations, andpermutations of the disclosed implementations can be made and will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the generalprinciples defined can be applied to other implementations andapplications, without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In some instances, one or more technical details that areunnecessary to obtain an understanding of the described subject matterand that are within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art may beomitted so as to not obscure one or more described implementations. Thepresent disclosure is not intended to be limited to the described orillustrated implementations, but to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the described principles and features.

Data is a valuable asset (for example, for scientific or educationalresearch; computer system monitoring, maintenance, and operation; andfor entities (such as, universities, or companies). In some cases,business owners have started adopting IoT technologies and can gatherdata associated with provided products for analytical purposes (forexample, to improve products, delivery, and marketing). For example, abusiness owner with many trucks that deliver goods may wish to track areal-time location of the goods when the trucks are in transit.

An IoT approach can provide many benefits, especially in access toincreasing amounts of useful data and to gain better insights from thedata (for example, performance, operation, maintenance, security, andefficiency of associated devices). On the other hand, the IoT approachalso has technical challenges. For example, size of data and datacollection speed associated with each device can be a resource drain onan IoT network infrastructure. In addition, accessing private user datahas legal, business, and moral implications. Gathering importantanalytics on usage and other parameters can possibly compromise a user'sprivacy. This makes collecting data from consumer devices moredifficult.

Home IoT device manufacturers would like to gather data on devices thatthey no longer own, but the IoT devices may not be always connected to anetwork (such as, the Internet). For example, manufacturers of smartlocks or smart light bulbs are usually not able to obtain analyticsassociated with consumer goods they have sold, since consumers are lesswilling to report their data due to privacy concerns. However, such datais seen as critical to the IoT manufacturers in order to gather insightsabout device usage and to permit improvement to the device and overallbusiness success. Therefore, a solution that can reduce service costswhile preserving data privacy is desired.

Solutions provided by various analytics platforms gather data from anindividual IoT device and performs analytics on the partially analyzeddata or raw data in a centralized manner, for example, on an analyticsplatform server or a cloud service, which can expose potential privatedata (for example, to employees of a service provider). Moreover, usingthe described service is also typically expensive. Some manufacturersretain a so-called “edge analytics” solution, meaning a system whereanalytics are performed at a point where (or very close to where) datais collected. Rather than designing centralized systems where allcollected data is sent back to a data warehouse in a raw state, an edgeanalytics solution is configured to perform analysis on the “edge” (thatis, on a device) of the system. However, just like the centralizedsolution, edge analytics can also result in compromise of private dataassociated with each device, since the data is not transmittedanonymously in the network.

In this disclosure, a decentralized network approach is described, inwhich much of the analysis is performed at the edge (for example, athome/consumer IoT devices) while analysis results are transmittedanonymously back to an entity (such as, a manufacturer). A logicalhierarchy of data sources is dynamically constructed for the purpose ofgathering analytics. For example, after a consumer purchases a deviceand connects the device to the Internet, the device can be paired withother devices to construct a hierarchical tree. In some cases, the topof the tree can be considered the manufacturer of the device. In thistype of hierarchy, devices can be grouped into logical relationships.

In some implementations, the hierarchical structure can be maintainedusing several mechanisms. First, devices in each group can collect dataand send it together with data received from direct hierarchicaldescendants (that is, children). Second, the data received from eachdirect child can be anonymously aggregated as a weighted data cube.Finally, the anonymized data can be propagated up the hierarchy until itis received at the manufacturer. The manufacturer can also distributeupdates to the devices down the hierarchy in a phased manner.

In some implementations, security aspects of the described approach canrely on known technologies in the domains of encryption, certificates,and trust (for example, TLS or OpenID Connect). Specifically, datasources can establish trust among each other by establishingcommunications using TLS (for example, TLS certificates can ensure thatall data sources have an identical origin and connections between datasources are self-created, and a handshaking process creates trust). Insome cases proprietary technologies can be leveraged in order to enhanceor to provide all or some security aspects to the described approach.Malicious patterns can also be detected (using known or proprietarytechniques), and trust afforded to malicious data sources can be revokedon detection of the malicious patterns.

In one example, a manufacturer sold a fleet of smart home coffeemachines to different consumers, and the manufacturer wants to collectreports based on information associated with the coffee machines. Thefirst report is with respect to a temperature of the coffee machineaccording to location. The second report is with respect to a percentageof people drinking espresso compared to a percentage of people drinkingcappuccino, and grouped by location. The third report is with respect toa time between failures based on a type of coffee (for example, espressovs. cappuccino) and location. In this example, device connections areconstructed based on a location (for example, by longitude andlatitude). Each set of connected devices are by definition considered tobe in the same location. Devices report temperature to a delegate(explained in more detail below). The delegate calculates an averagetemperature of the reported temperature measurements (anonymized), andsends the average temperature up the hierarchy until it reaches themanufacturer. For the second and the third report, a single constructedhierarchy can be used, as both reports consist of the same dimensions.Device connections are constructed based on location (for example, bylongitude and latitude) and a type of coffee (espresso/cappuccino). Eachset of connected devices are, by definition, considered to be in thesame location and to share the same coffee type. Devices report to adelegate a time between failures and a percentage of people. Thedelegate calculates an average of these measures (anonymized) and sendsthe average values up the hierarchy until it reaches the manufacturer.

This decentralized solution maintains data privacy through variousmechanisms. First, participants (for example, devices) are grouped bydimensions, and the dimensions are further grouped by ranges (forexample, by age or by location) to further anonymize the data. In a datawarehouse analysis, dimensions provide structured labeling informationto otherwise unordered numeric measures. For example, to gatherexamination results from a group of people (that is, to know what an agerange is and what an average test result per each age group), first theparticipants are divided into various age categories, for example,divided by every 10 years. Then, examination results within each groupcan be gathered and used to calculate an average score for each group.In this way, privacy for each individual participant can be preservedand each particular score cannot be traced back to a particularparticipant. Second, the decentralized solution maintains data privacyby imposing limitations on connections between participants. The numberof connections in the hierarchy is kept to a minimum. In this way, if acertain participant is compromised, only data associated with thatparticipant is exposed, and data received from other participants, bydefinition, is kept anonymized. Third, the decentralized solutionmaintains data privacy by eliminating outliers. Aggregating dataprovides a good measure or privacy by definition. However, if there is avery small amount of data for a particular dimension (for example,location), the source of data can be traced. For example, in the lastexample, if there is only one participant in a particular age group(that is, an outlier), the score of this participant can be traced backto that particular participant. The decentralized solution tackles suchproblems by eliminating the outliers. Detecting outliers is simple in acentralized solution, where before, in generating a data analysis finalreport, the outlier can be eliminated from the result (since theidentity of the outlier is exposed from the beginning). In thedecentralized solution, however, this can be a challenge because everyedge only holds part of the big picture. The decentralized solution hasno knowledge of whether there are similar dimensions in existence in thehierarchy. Therefore, the disclosed solution only groups participants ifthey are homogeneous with at least one other participant (that is, theyhave identical dimensions). As such, this solution can prevent outliersfrom joining the hierarchy in the first place since a single participantwill not be homogenous with at least one other participant.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example system 100 that employs alogical hierarchy of data sources, according to an implementation of thepresent disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, system 100 is structuredas a hierarchical tree, which contains three levels. The first level(that is, the “top” level) is the manufacturer 102, collecting andanalyzing device data from devices in lower levels. The second and thethird levels contain groups 104-112. Each group includes one delegatedevice and one or more non-delegate devices. For example, group 104contains non-delegate device 114 and delegate device 116, group 106contains non-delegate devices 118 and 120 and delegate device 122, group108 contains non-delegate devices 124 and 126 and delegate device 128,group 110 contains delegate device 130 and non-delegate devices 132 and134, and group 112 contains non-delegate device 136 and delegate device138.

In some implementations, each group of devices has a single delegatedevice that is responsible for communication up and down the logicalstructure (for example, communicating analytical information up thehierarchy or distributing updates down the hierarchy). A delegate devicecan collect data from itself and from other non-delegate devices of thegroup in which it belongs. For example, delegate device 122 can collectits own data and data from non-delegate devices 118 and 120, which bothbelong to the same group 106. A delegate device can also collect datafrom another delegate device that is in a different group if they are ina parent-child relationship. For example, delegate device 122 is aparent device of delegate devices 130 and 138. Therefore, althoughdelegate devices 130 and 138 do not belong to the same group withdelegate device 122, they still send data to delegate device 122. Inthis way, each device in a group has knowledge of all other devices inthat group. Each delegate device knows its parent device. A delegatedevice does not know the non-delegate devices in the parent's group. Anon-delegate device does not know its parent. Each delegate device knowsonly one child device per group of children (that is, the delegate).

A delegate device distributes (shares) a self-generated secret to eachdevice in its particular group and to associated child devices that aredelegates of their respective groups. A shared secret can be a piece ofdata, known only to the parties involved in a secure communication, andcan be generated by a number of conventional tools. For example, asecret can be a password, passphrase, a big number, or an array orrandomly chosen values (such as, bytes). When a delegate becomespermanently unresponsive, the secret can be used to reestablish a trustbetween surviving devices. So if an established delegate becomesnon-responsive (for example, after a certain timeout period), anotherdevice in the group can be configured to assume the delegate role and toensure that another device is added to the group instead of the formerdelegate.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 illustrating a process of a new device joiningthe logical device hierarchy, according to an implementation of thepresent disclosure. For clarity of presentation, the description thatfollows generally describes method 200 in the context of the otherfigures in this description. However, it will be understood that method200 can be performed, for example, by any system, environment, software,and hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, andhardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps ofmethod 200 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in anyorder.

At 202, a new device self-registers in a device registry as an orphandevice. In some implementations, the registry is a hosted server that isaccessible to all devices and is required for devices to find each otherin order to form the hierarchy. The registry can expose a secureapplication programming interface (API) that enables devices to performactions that accomplish these tasks, while leaving minimal traces. Forexample, when a device registers as an “orphan”, it can use a temporaryself-generated identification (ID), instead of its unique ID that itwill share only with trusted devices. This temporary ID is used duringthe handshaking process with a prospective delegate device and isdiscarded once the adoption is complete. The “orphan” device also passesa self-generated delete-secret that the registry stores together withthe entry that it creates, but that is not exposed through its API. Aprospective adopting device locates this entry in the registry andinitiates the handshake process. Once the handshake is successfullycompleted, the formerly “orphan” device removes itself from the registrywhile presenting its delete-secret to the registry. This ensures that noone but the “orphan” device can remove the entry. In someimplementations, the registry itself can perform periodic cleanup duringwhich stale/unused entries can be removed. In some implementations, whena new device is introduced, it can self-register in the registry as an“orphan” device, and as belonging to a specific analytics report. After202, method 200 proceeds to 204.

At 204, an existing delegate device of the device hierarchy polls thedevice registry for the orphan device and initiates a handshake processto establish a trust between the existing delegate device and the orphandevice. In some implementations, existing delegate devices poll theregistry for orphan devices and initiate a handshake process toestablish trust between the existing delegate device and the orphandevice. During the handshake process, the two devices ensure they belongto the same analytics report, and share the same dimensional ranges. Thedimensional ranges are defined by the device manufacturers, andcorrespond to the requirements of the analytics reports that themanufacturers would like to generate. After 204, method 200 proceeds to206.

At 206, the orphan device removes itself from the registry. In someimplementations, after a successful handshake, an adoption/associationprocess starts. During the adoption process, the “orphan” device and theadopting device first verify that they trust each other (for example,through exchange of certificates and secrets). Each device then updatesits own status by referencing to another device (such as, a parent,child, or sibling). If an association process is involved, devices willfurther make agreement on which of them should become the delegate.After a successful adoption/association, the orphan device removesitself from the registry.

In some implementations, when any device in a group becomes permanentlynon-responsive, a delegate device ensures the group remains large andfunctional. In some implementations, each hierarchy can be configuredwith a maximum/minimum number of devices per group and maximum/minimumnumber of child groups. This configuration can be established to ensurea balanced hierarchy. After 206, method 200 can stop.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 illustrating a process of data propagationwithin the logical device hierarchy, according to an implementation ofthe present disclosure. For clarity of presentation, the descriptionthat follows generally describes method 300 in the context of the otherfigures in this description. However, it will be understood that method300 can be performed, for example, by any system, environment, software,and hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, andhardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps ofmethod 300 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in anyorder.

At 302, each particular device (that is, delegate device andnon-delegate device) gathers information from a sensor associated withthe particular device and structures the gathered information as a datacube. In analytics, the particular device can gather a lot ofinformation with a sensor and aggregate the data into a set of datacubes, for example, a set of Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cubes.In some implementations, the cube can be sliced in a way that fits theneeds of a user. In a logical device hierarchy, the cube can bemaintained at each level. That is, each individual device in each levelmaintains its own cube. This cube has a weight of 1. In this way, thehigher up in the hierarchy, the more aggregated the data is that eachdelegate device receives, and more weight can placed on the data. After302, method 300 proceeds to 304.

At 304, non-delegate devices periodically send their own data cubes tothe delegate devices in its group. In some implementations, the data issent according to a pre-determined time value or a dynamicallydetermined time value (for example, based on an amount of data or dataexceeding a threshold value). After 304, method 300 proceeds to 306.

At 306, delegate devices aggregate data cubes received from childrendevices that are delegates in other groups, and from non-delegatedevices in its own group into a single weighted data cube. In someimplementations, the weight of the aggregated cube is calculated as thesum of the weights of all the cubes that were aggregated (that is, theweight is a reflection of the number of devices that participated in thecube). After 306, method 300 proceeds to 308.

At 308, delegate devices send their weighted data cube to their up-levelparent devices until the data reaches the manufacturer at the top level.After 308, method 300 can stop.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 400 of collectingdata within the logical device hierarchy, according to an implementationof the present disclosure. For clarity of presentation, the descriptionthat follows generally describes method 400 in the context of the otherfigures in this description. However, it will be understood that method400 can be performed, for example, by any system, environment, software,and hardware, or a combination of systems, environments, software, andhardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps ofmethod 400 can be run in parallel, in combination, in loops, or in anyorder.

At 402, a data cube is generated at each delegate device and eachnon-delegate device of a logical device hierarchy. The logical devicehierarchy comprises more than one level. Each level comprises one ormore groups, and each group comprises one delegate device and one ormore non-delegate devices.

In some implementations, a top level of the logical device hierarchycomprises a manufacturer. In some implementations, a delegate devicedistributes a secret to each device of a same group, and to delegatedevices of a different group, wherein the delegate device is a parent ofthe delegate device of a different group(s). In some implementations,delegate devices and non-delegate devices are grouped by dimensions, anddelegate devices and non-delegate devices in the same group haveidentical dimensions.

In some implementations, a new device joins the logical device hierarchyby operations including a new device self-registering in a deviceregistry as an orphan device, an existing delegate device of the logicaldevice hierarchy polling the registry for the orphan device, andinitiating a handshake process to establish a trust between the twodevices, and the orphan device removes itself from the registry by theorphan device. After 402, method 400 proceeds to 404.

At 404, data cubes are received at each delegate device from the one ormore non-delegate devices of the same group. In some implementations, adata cube is generated by operations including gathering informationassociated with the device from a sensor associated with the device, andarranging the gathered information into a data cube. After 404, method400 proceeds to 406.

At 406, data cubes are received at the delegate device from delegatedevices of a different group(s), and the delegate device is the parentof the delegate devices of a different group(s). After 406, method 400proceeds to 408.

At 408, at each delegate device, the received data cubes are aggregatedinto a weighted data cube. After 408, method 400 proceeds to 410.

At 410, the weighted data cube is sent from each delegate device to theparent of the delegate device. In some implementations, delegate devicesfrom a second level of the logical device hierarchy send the weighteddata cube to the top level manufacturer. After 410, method 400 can stop.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of acomputer-implemented System 500 used to provide computationalfunctionalities associated with described algorithms, methods,functions, processes, flows, and procedures, according to animplementation of the present disclosure. In the illustratedimplementation, System 500 includes a Computer 502 and a Network 530.

The illustrated Computer 502 is intended to encompass any computingdevice such as a server, desktop computer, laptop/notebook computer,wireless data port, smart phone, personal data assistant (PDA), tabletcomputer, one or more processors within these devices, another computingdevice, or a combination of computing devices, including physical orvirtual instances of the computing device, or a combination of physicalor virtual instances of the computing device. Additionally, the Computer502 can include an input device, such as a keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, another input device, or a combination of input devices that canaccept user information, and an output device that conveys informationassociated with the operation of the Computer 502, including digitaldata, visual, audio, another type of information, or a combination oftypes of information, on a graphical-type user interface (UI) (or GUI)or other UI.

The Computer 502 can serve in a role in a distributed computing systemas a client, network component, a server, a database or anotherpersistency, another role, or a combination of roles for performing thesubject matter described in the present disclosure. The illustratedComputer 502 is communicably coupled with a Network 530. In someimplementations, one or more components of the Computer 502 can beconfigured to operate within an environment, includingcloud-computing-based, local, global, another environment, or acombination of environments.

At a high level, the Computer 502 is an electronic computing deviceoperable to receive, transmit, process, store, or manage data andinformation associated with the described subject matter. According tosome implementations, the Computer 502 can also include or becommunicably coupled with a server, including an application server,e-mail server, web server, caching server, streaming data server,another server, or a combination of servers.

The Computer 502 can receive requests over Network 530 (for example,from a client software application executing on another Computer 502)and respond to the received requests by processing the received requestsusing a software application or a combination of software applications.In addition, requests can also be sent to the Computer 502 from internalusers (for example, from a command console or by another internal accessmethod), external or third-parties, or other entities, individuals,systems, or computers.

Each of the components of the Computer 502 can communicate using aSystem Bus 503. In some implementations, any or all of the components ofthe Computer 502, including hardware, software, or a combination ofhardware and software, can interface over the System Bus 503 using anapplication programming interface (API) 512, a Service Layer 513, or acombination of the API 512 and Service Layer 513. The API 512 caninclude specifications for routines, data structures, and objectclasses. The API 512 can be either computer-language independent ordependent and refer to a complete interface, a single function, or evena set of APIs. The Service Layer 513 provides software services to theComputer 502 or other components (whether illustrated or not) that arecommunicably coupled to the Computer 502. The functionality of theComputer 502 can be accessible for all service consumers using theService Layer 513. Software services, such as those provided by theService Layer 513, provide reusable, defined functionalities through adefined interface. For example, the interface can be software written inJAVA, C++, another computing language, or a combination of computinglanguages providing data in extensible markup language (XML) format,another format, or a combination of formats. While illustrated as anintegrated component of the Computer 502, alternative implementationscan illustrate the API 512 or the Service Layer 513 as stand-alonecomponents in relation to other components of the Computer 502 or othercomponents (whether illustrated or not) that are communicably coupled tothe Computer 502. Moreover, any or all parts of the API 512 or theService Layer 513 can be implemented as a child or a sub-module ofanother software module, enterprise application, or hardware modulewithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The Computer 502 includes an Interface 504. Although illustrated as asingle Interface 504, two or more Interfaces 504 can be used accordingto particular needs, desires, or particular implementations of theComputer 502. The Interface 504 is used by the Computer 502 forcommunicating with another computing system (whether illustrated or not)that is communicatively linked to the Network 530 in a distributedenvironment. Generally, the Interface 504 is operable to communicatewith the Network 530 and includes logic encoded in software, hardware,or a combination of software and hardware. More specifically, theInterface 504 can include software supporting one or more communicationprotocols associated with communications such that the Network 530 orhardware of Interface 504 is operable to communicate physical signalswithin and outside of the illustrated Computer 502.

The Computer 502 includes a Processor 505. Although illustrated as asingle Processor 505, two or more Processors 505 can be used accordingto particular needs, desires, or particular implementations of theComputer 502. Generally, the Processor 505 executes instructions andmanipulates data to perform the operations of the Computer 502 and anyalgorithms, methods, functions, processes, flows, and procedures asdescribed in the present disclosure.

The Computer 502 also includes a Database 506 that can hold data for theComputer 502, another component communicatively linked to the Network530 (whether illustrated or not), or a combination of the Computer 502and another component. For example, Database 506 can be an in-memory,conventional, or another type of database storing data consistent withthe present disclosure. In some implementations, Database 506 can be acombination of two or more different database types (for example, ahybrid in-memory and conventional database) according to particularneeds, desires, or particular implementations of the Computer 502 andthe described functionality. Although illustrated as a single Database506, two or more databases of similar or differing types can be usedaccording to particular needs, desires, or particular implementations ofthe Computer 502 and the described functionality. While Database 506 isillustrated as an integral component of the Computer 502, in alternativeimplementations, Database 506 can be external to the Computer 502. TheDatabase 506 can hold one or more of the previously described datatypes.

The Computer 502 also includes a Memory 507 that can hold data for theComputer 502, another component or components communicatively linked tothe Network 530 (whether illustrated or not), or a combination of theComputer 502 and another component. Memory 507 can store any dataconsistent with the present disclosure. In some implementations, Memory507 can be a combination of two or more different types of memory (forexample, a combination of semiconductor and magnetic storage) accordingto particular needs, desires, or particular implementations of theComputer 502 and the described functionality. Although illustrated as asingle Memory 507, two or more Memories 507 or similar or differingtypes can be used according to particular needs, desires, or particularimplementations of the Computer 502 and the described functionality.While Memory 507 is illustrated as an integral component of the Computer502, in alternative implementations, Memory 507 can be external to theComputer 502.

The Application 508 is an algorithmic software engine providingfunctionality according to particular needs, desires, or particularimplementations of the Computer 502, particularly with respect tofunctionality described in the present disclosure. For example,Application 508 can serve as one or more components, modules, orapplications. Further, although illustrated as a single Application 508,the Application 508 can be implemented as multiple Applications 508 onthe Computer 502. In addition, although illustrated as integral to theComputer 502, in alternative implementations, the Application 508 can beexternal to the Computer 502.

The Computer 502 can also include a Power Supply 514. The Power Supply514 can include a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery that can beconfigured to be either user- or non-user-replaceable. In someimplementations, the Power Supply 514 can include power-conversion ormanagement circuits (including recharging, standby, or another powermanagement functionality). In some implementations, the Power Supply 514can include a power plug to allow the Computer 502 to be plugged into awall socket or another power source to, for example, power the Computer502 or recharge a rechargeable battery.

There can be any number of Computers 502 associated with, or externalto, a computer system containing Computer 502, each Computer 502communicating over Network 530. Further, the term “client,” “user,” orother appropriate terminology can be used interchangeably, asappropriate, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Moreover, the present disclosure contemplates that many users can useone Computer 502, or that one user can use multiple computers 502.

Described implementations of the subject matter can include one or morefeatures, alone or in combination.

For example, in a first implementation, a computer-implemented method,comprising: generating, at each delegate device and each non-delegatedevice of a logical device hierarchy, a data cube, wherein the logicaldevice hierarchy comprises more than one level, wherein each levelcomprises one or more groups, and wherein each group comprises onedelegate device and one or more non-delegate devices; receiving, at eachdelegate device, data cubes from the one or more non-delegate devicesassociated with the same group; receiving, at each delegate device, datacubes from delegate devices of a different group, and wherein thatdelegate device is the parent of the delegate devices associated with adifferent group; aggregating, at each delegate device, the received datacubes into a weighted data cube; and sending, from each delegate device,the weighted data cube to the parent of the delegate device.

The foregoing and other described implementations can each, optionally,include one or more of the following features:

A first feature, combinable with any of the following features, whereina top-level of the logical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.

A second feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, further comprising sending, from delegate devices of asecond-level of the logical device hierarchy, the weighted data cube tothe manufacturer.

A third feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a delegate device distributes a secret to each deviceof a same group and to delegate devices of different groups, and whereinthe delegate device is a parent of the delegate devices of the differentgroups.

A fourth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein the delegate devices and the non-delegate devices aregrouped by dimensions, and the delegate device and the non-delegatedevices in the same group have identical dimensions.

A fifth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a new device joins the logical device hierarchy by,self-registering the new device in a device registry as an orphandevice; polling, by an existing delegate device of the logical devicehierarchy, the device registry for the orphan device, and initiating ahandshake process to establish a trust relationship between the existingdelegate device and the orphan device; and removing, by means of theorphan device, the orphan device from the registry.

A sixth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein generating a data cube comprises: gatheringinformation associated with the delegate device or the non-delegatedevice from a sensor associated with the delegate device or thenon-delegate device; and arranging the gathered information into a datacube corresponding with the delegate device or the non-delegate.

In a second implementation, a computer-implemented system, comprising:generating, at each delegate device and each non-delegate device of alogical device hierarchy, a data cube, wherein the logical devicehierarchy comprises more than one level, wherein each level comprisesone or more groups, and wherein each group comprises one delegate deviceand one or more non-delegate devices; receiving, at each delegatedevice, data cubes from the one or more non-delegate devices associatedwith the same group; receiving, at each delegate device, data cubes fromdelegate devices of a different group, and wherein that delegate deviceis the parent of the delegate devices associated with a different group;aggregating, at each delegate device, the received data cubes into aweighted data cube; and sending, from each delegate device, the weighteddata cube to the parent of the delegate device.

The foregoing and other described implementations can each, optionally,include one or more of the following features:

A first feature, combinable with any of the following features, whereina top-level of the logical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.

A second feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, further comprising one or more instructions to send, fromdelegate devices of a second-level of the logical device hierarchy, theweighted data cube to the manufacturer.

A third feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a delegate device distributes a secret to each deviceof a same group and to delegate devices of different groups, and whereinthe delegate device is a parent of the delegate devices of the differentgroups.

A fourth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein the delegate devices and the non-delegate devices aregrouped by dimensions, and the delegate device and the non-delegatedevices in the same group have identical dimensions.

A fifth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a new device joins the logical device hierarchy by,self-registering the new device in a device registry as an orphandevice; polling, by an existing delegate device of the logical devicehierarchy, the device registry for the orphan device, and initiating ahandshake process to establish a trust relationship between the existingdelegate device and the orphan device; and removing, by means of theorphan device, the orphan device from the registry.

A sixth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein generating a data cube comprises one or moreinstructions to: gather information associated with the delegate deviceor the non-delegate device from a sensor associated with the delegatedevice or the non-delegate device; and arrange the gathered informationinto a data cube corresponding with the delegate device or thenon-delegate.

In a third implementation, In a third implementation, acomputer-implemented system, comprising: generating, at each delegatedevice and each non-delegate device of a logical device hierarchy, adata cube, wherein the logical device hierarchy comprises more than onelevel, wherein each level comprises one or more groups, and wherein eachgroup comprises one delegate device and one or more non-delegatedevices; receiving, at each delegate device, data cubes from the one ormore non-delegate devices associated with the same group; receiving, ateach delegate device, data cubes from delegate devices of a differentgroup, and wherein that delegate device is the parent of the delegatedevices associated with a different group; aggregating, at each delegatedevice, the received data cubes into a weighted data cube; and sending,from each delegate device, the weighted data cube to the parent of thedelegate device.

The foregoing and other described implementations can each, optionally,include one or more of the following features:

A first feature, combinable with any of the following features, whereina top-level of the logical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.

A second feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, further comprising one or more instructions to send, fromdelegate devices of a second-level of the logical device hierarchy, theweighted data cube to the manufacturer.

A third feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a delegate device distributes a secret to each deviceof a same group and to delegate devices of different groups, and whereinthe delegate device is a parent of the delegate devices of the differentgroups.

A fourth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein the delegate devices and the non-delegate devices aregrouped by dimensions, and the delegate device and the non-delegatedevices in the same group have identical dimensions.

A fifth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein a new device joins the logical device hierarchy by,self-registering the new device in a device registry as an orphandevice; polling, by an existing delegate device of the logical devicehierarchy, the device registry for the orphan device, and initiating ahandshake process to establish a trust relationship between the existingdelegate device and the orphan device; and removing, by means of theorphan device, the orphan device from the registry.

A sixth feature, combinable with any of the previous or followingfeatures, wherein generating a data cube comprises one or moreoperations to: gather information associated with the delegate device orthe non-delegate device from a sensor associated with the delegatedevice or the non-delegate device; and arrange the gathered informationinto a data cube corresponding with the delegate device or thenon-delegate.

Implementations of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed in this specification can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, in tangibly embodied computer software or firmware, incomputer hardware, including the structures disclosed in thisspecification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations ofone or more of them. Software implementations of the described subjectmatter can be implemented as one or more computer programs, that is, oneor more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible,non-transitory, computer-readable medium for execution by, or to controlthe operation of, a computer or computer-implemented system.Alternatively, or additionally, the program instructions can be encodedin/on an artificially generated propagated signal, for example, amachine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal that isgenerated to encode information for transmission to a receiver apparatusfor execution by a computer or computer-implemented system. Thecomputer-storage medium can be a machine-readable storage device, amachine-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memorydevice, or a combination of computer-storage mediums. Configuring one ormore computers means that the one or more computers have installedhardware, firmware, or software (or combinations of hardware, firmware,and software) so that when the software is executed by the one or morecomputers, particular computing operations are performed.

The term “real-time,” “real time,” “realtime,” “real (fast) time (RFT),”“near(ly) real-time (NRT),” “quasi real-time,” or similar terms (asunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art), means that an actionand a response are temporally proximate such that an individualperceives the action and the response occurring substantiallysimultaneously. For example, the time difference for a response todisplay (or for an initiation of a display) of data following theindividual's action to access the data can be less than 1 millisecond(ms), less than 1 second (s), or less than 5 s. While the requested dataneed not be displayed (or initiated for display) instantaneously, it isdisplayed (or initiated for display) without any intentional delay,taking into account processing limitations of a described computingsystem and time required to, for example, gather, accurately measure,analyze, process, store, or transmit the data.

The terms “data processing apparatus,” “computer,” or “electroniccomputer device” (or an equivalent term as understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art) refer to data processing hardware. Data processinghardware encompass all kinds of apparatuses, devices, and machines forprocessing data, including by way of example, a programmable processor,a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The computer can alsobe, or further include special purpose logic circuitry, for example, acentral processing unit (CPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA),or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In someimplementations, the computer or computer-implemented system or specialpurpose logic circuitry (or a combination of the computer orcomputer-implemented system and special purpose logic circuitry) can behardware- or software-based (or a combination of both hardware- andsoftware-based). The computer can optionally include code that createsan execution environment for computer programs, for example, code thatconstitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database managementsystem, an operating system, or a combination of execution environments.The present disclosure contemplates the use of a computer orcomputer-implemented system with an operating system of some type, forexample LINUX, UNIX, WINDOWS, MAC OS, ANDROID, IOS, another operatingsystem, or a combination of operating systems.

A computer program, which can also be referred to or described as aprogram, software, a software application, a unit, a module, a softwaremodule, a script, code, or other component can be written in any form ofprogramming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, ordeclarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form,including, for example, as a stand-alone program, module, component, orsubroutine, for use in a computing environment. A computer program can,but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program can bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data, forexample, one or more scripts stored in a markup language document, in asingle file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiplecoordinated files, for example, files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code. A computer program can be deployed tobe executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located atone site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

While portions of the programs illustrated in the various figures can beillustrated as individual components, such as units or modules, thatimplement described features and functionality using various objects,methods, or other processes, the programs can instead include a numberof sub-units, sub-modules, third-party services, components, libraries,and other components, as appropriate. Conversely, the features andfunctionality of various components can be combined into singlecomponents, as appropriate. Thresholds used to make computationaldeterminations can be statically, dynamically, or both statically anddynamically determined.

Described methods, processes, or logic flows represent one or moreexamples of functionality consistent with the present disclosure and arenot intended to limit the disclosure to the described or illustratedimplementations, but to be accorded the widest scope consistent withdescribed principles and features. The described methods, processes, orlogic flows can be performed by one or more programmable computersexecuting one or more computer programs to perform functions byoperating on input data and generating output data. The methods,processes, or logic flows can also be performed by, and computers canalso be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, for example, aCPU, an FPGA, or an ASIC.

Computers for the execution of a computer program can be based ongeneral or special purpose microprocessors, both, or another type ofCPU. Generally, a CPU will receive instructions and data from and writeto a memory. The essential elements of a computer are a CPU, forperforming or executing instructions, and one or more memory devices forstoring instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include,or be operatively coupled to, receive data from or transfer data to, orboth, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, for example,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded inanother device, for example, a mobile telephone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver, or a portable memory storagedevice.

Non-transitory computer-readable media for storing computer programinstructions and data can include all forms of permanent/non-permanentor volatile/non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including byway of example semiconductor memory devices, for example, random accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), phase change memory (PRAM), staticrandom access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices;magnetic devices, for example, tape, cartridges, cassettes,internal/removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical memorydevices, for example, digital versatile/video disc (DVD), compact disc(CD)-ROM, DVD+/−R, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, high-definition/density (HD)-DVD,and BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY DISC (BD), and other optical memory technologies.The memory can store various objects or data, including caches, classes,frameworks, applications, modules, backup data, jobs, web pages, webpage templates, data structures, database tables, repositories storingdynamic information, or other appropriate information including anyparameters, variables, algorithms, instructions, rules, constraints, orreferences. Additionally, the memory can include other appropriate data,such as logs, policies, security or access data, or reporting files. Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquidcrystal display (LCD), light emitting diode (LED), or plasma monitor,for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice, for example, a mouse, trackball, or trackpad by which the usercan provide input to the computer. Input can also be provided to thecomputer using a touchscreen, such as a tablet computer surface withpressure sensitivity, a multi-touch screen using capacitive or electricsensing, or another type of touchscreen. Other types of devices can beused to interact with the user. For example, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback (such as, visual, auditory,tactile, or a combination of feedback types). Input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Inaddition, a computer can interact with the user by sending documents toand receiving documents from a client computing device that is used bythe user (for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user'smobile computing device in response to requests received from the webbrowser).

The term “graphical user interface,” or “GUI,” can be used in thesingular or the plural to describe one or more graphical user interfacesand each of the displays of a particular graphical user interface.Therefore, a GUI can represent any graphical user interface, includingbut not limited to, a web browser, a touch screen, or a command lineinterface (CLI) that processes information and efficiently presents theinformation results to the user. In general, a GUI can include a numberof user interface (UI) elements, some or all associated with a webbrowser, such as interactive fields, pull-down lists, and buttons. Theseand other UI elements can be related to or represent the functions ofthe web browser.

Implementations of the subject matter described in this specificationcan be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-endcomponent, for example, as a data server, or that includes a middlewarecomponent, for example, an application server, or that includes afront-end component, for example, a client computer having a graphicaluser interface or a Web browser through which a user can interact withan implementation of the subject matter described in this specification,or any combination of one or more such back-end, middleware, orfront-end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of wireline or wireless digital data communication(or a combination of data communication), for example, a communicationnetwork. Examples of communication networks include a local area network(LAN), a radio access network (RAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN),a wide area network (WAN), Worldwide Interoperability for MicrowaveAccess (WIMAX), a wireless local area network (WLAN) using, for example,802.11 a/b/g/n or 802.20 (or a combination of 802.11x and 802.20 orother protocols consistent with the present disclosure), all or aportion of the Internet, another communication network, or a combinationof communication networks. The communication network can communicatewith, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) packets, frame relay frames,Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) cells, voice, video, data, or otherinformation between network nodes.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventive concept or on the scope of what can be claimed, but rather asdescriptions of features that can be specific to particularimplementations of particular inventive concepts. Certain features thatare described in this specification in the context of separateimplementations can also be implemented, in combination, in a singleimplementation. Conversely, various features that are described in thecontext of a single implementation can also be implemented in multipleimplementations, separately, or in any sub-combination. Moreover,although previously described features can be described as acting incertain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or morefeatures from a claimed combination can, in some cases, be excised fromthe combination, and the claimed combination can be directed to asub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Particular implementations of the subject matter have been described.Other implementations, alterations, and permutations of the describedimplementations are within the scope of the following claims as will beapparent to those skilled in the art. While operations are depicted inthe drawings or claims in a particular order, this should not beunderstood as requiring that such operations be performed in theparticular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustratedoperations be performed (some operations can be considered optional), toachieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking orparallel processing (or a combination of multitasking and parallelprocessing) can be advantageous and performed as deemed appropriate.

Moreover, the separation or integration of various system modules andcomponents in the previously described implementations should not beunderstood as requiring such separation or integration in allimplementations, and it should be understood that the described programcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singlesoftware product or packaged into multiple software products.

Accordingly, the previously described example implementations do notdefine or constrain the present disclosure. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, any claimed implementation is considered to be applicableto at least a computer-implemented method; a non-transitory,computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions toperform the computer-implemented method; and a computer systemcomprising a computer memory interoperably coupled with a hardwareprocessor configured to perform the computer-implemented method or theinstructions stored on the non-transitory, computer-readable medium.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:generating, at each delegate device and each non-delegate device of alogical device hierarchy, a data cube, wherein the logical devicehierarchy comprises more than one level, wherein each level comprisesone or more groups, and wherein each group comprises one delegate deviceand one or more non-delegate devices; receiving, at each delegatedevice, data cubes from the one or more non-delegate devices associatedwith the same group; receiving, at each delegate device, data cubes fromdelegate devices of a different group, and wherein that delegate deviceis the parent of the delegate devices associated with a different group;aggregating, at each delegate device, the received data cubes into aweighted data cube; and sending, from each delegate device, the weighteddata cube to the parent of the delegate device.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a top-level of thelogical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising sending, fromdelegate devices of a second-level of the logical device hierarchy, theweighted data cube to the manufacturer.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein a delegate device distributes a secret toeach device of a same group and to delegate devices of different groups,wherein the delegate device is a parent of the delegate devices of thedifferent groups.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe delegate devices and the non-delegate devices are grouped bydimensions, and the delegate device and the non-delegate devices in thesame group have identical dimensions.
 6. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein a new device joins the logical device hierarchy by:self-registering the new device in a device registry as an orphandevice; polling, by an existing delegate device of the logical devicehierarchy, the device registry for the orphan device, and initiating ahandshake process to establish a trust relationship between the existingdelegate device and the orphan device; and removing, by means of theorphan device, the orphan device from the registry.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating a data cubecomprises: gathering information associated with the delegate device orthe non-delegate device from a sensor associated with the delegatedevice or the non-delegate device; and arranging the gatheredinformation into a data cube corresponding with the delegate device orthe non-delegate.
 8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storingone or more instructions executable by a computer system to performoperations comprising: generating, at each delegate device and eachnon-delegate device of a logical device hierarchy, a data cube, whereinthe logical device hierarchy comprises more than one level, wherein eachlevel comprises one or more groups, and wherein each group comprises onedelegate device and one or more non-delegate devices; receiving, at eachdelegate device, data cubes from the one or more non-delegate devicesassociated with the same group; receiving, at each delegate device, datacubes from delegate devices of a different group, and wherein thatdelegate device is the parent of the delegate devices associated with adifferent group; aggregating, at each delegate device, the received datacubes into a weighted data cube; and sending, from each delegate device,the weighted data cube to the parent of the delegate device.
 9. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a top-levelof the logical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.
 10. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprisingone or more instructions to send, from delegate devices of asecond-level of the logical device hierarchy, the weighted data cube tothe manufacturer.
 11. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium ofclaim 8, wherein a delegate device distributes a secret to each deviceof a same group and to delegate devices of different groups, and whereinthe delegate device is a parent of the delegate devices of the differentgroups.
 12. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8,wherein the delegate devices and the non-delegate devices are grouped bydimensions, and the delegate device and the non-delegate devices in thesame group have identical dimensions.
 13. The non-transitory,computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein a new device joins thelogical device hierarchy by: self-registering the new device in a deviceregistry as an orphan device; polling, by an existing delegate device ofthe logical device hierarchy, the device registry for the orphan device,and initiating a handshake process to establish a trust relationshipbetween the existing delegate device and the orphan device; andremoving, by means of the orphan device, the orphan device from theregistry.
 14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8,wherein generating a data cube comprises one or more instructions to:gather information associated with the delegate device or thenon-delegate device from a sensor associated with the delegate device orthe non-delegate device; and arrange the gathered information into adata cube corresponding with the delegate device or the non-delegate.15. A computer-implemented system, comprising: one or more computers;and one or more computer memory devices interoperably coupled with theone or more computers and having tangible, non-transitory,machine-readable media storing one or more instructions that, whenexecuted by the one or more computers, perform one or more operationscomprising: generating, at each delegate device and each non-delegatedevice of a logical device hierarchy, a data cube, wherein the logicaldevice hierarchy comprises more than one level, wherein each levelcomprises one or more groups, and wherein each group comprises onedelegate device and one or more non-delegate devices; receiving, at eachdelegate device, data cubes from the one or more non-delegate devicesassociated with the same group; receiving, at each delegate device, datacubes from delegate devices of a different group, and wherein thatdelegate device is the parent of the delegate devices associated with adifferent group; aggregating, at each delegate device, the received datacubes into a weighted data cube; and sending, from each delegate device,the weighted data cube to the parent of the delegate device.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 15, wherein a top-level of thelogical device hierarchy comprises a manufacturer.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 16, further comprising one or moreoperations to send, from delegate devices of a second-level of thelogical device hierarchy, the weighted data cube to the manufacturer.18. The computer-implemented system of claim 15, wherein a delegatedevice distributes a secret to each device of a same group and todelegate devices of different groups, and wherein the delegate device isa parent of the delegate devices of the different groups.
 19. Thecomputer-implemented system of claim 15, wherein the delegate devicesand the non-delegate devices are grouped by dimensions, and the delegatedevice and the non-delegate devices in the same group have identicaldimensions.
 20. The computer-implemented system of claim 15, wherein anew device joins the logical device hierarchy by: self-registering thenew device in a device registry as an orphan device; polling, by anexisting delegate device of the logical device hierarchy, the deviceregistry for the orphan device, and initiating a handshake process toestablish a trust relationship between the existing delegate device andthe orphan device; and removing, by means of the orphan device, theorphan device from the registry.